Hi all,

There is a blog before this one from New Years eve before starting to read this one. Happy New Year to all!!!!

4th January 2008

Well we have now been away for over 7 months. Time for us has gone so quick!!! 4th of Jan 2008 and we were packed up heading in a plane to Alice Springs for a 7 day6 nights trip around Alice, Kings Canyon and Uluru (Ayers Rock). On this day we arrived at the hotel and had a wonder into town checking out some of the aboriganl shops and some heritage points. we visited the Pioneer womens museum and the old goal (Jail). Very interesting as it explained about who the first women were to do something amazing in their field or for Alice Springs. Alice springs is small with a population of 30,000. Heat was at a massive 41 degrees and the flies were terrible.

I also bought a Digeridoo for myself,really nice black and green one with an Aboriginal spirit on the side. At night we had a thai/Indian meal in the hotel as the next day our trip kicked off.

5th January

We picked up our hire car at 10 and headed north to an old telegraph station. Amazing the history behind the place and how it was a major part of a link across Australia to the rest of the world for communication. Charlotte played this hundred year old piano in one of the quarters where the school kids were taught. After this we made a trip to the local high School, for what you may ask, Well this place is different from any other School around the world. Many pupils cannot get to school as it farmers land and they live so far away, so kids are taught by teachers from this school by webcam, how amazing is that especially in the Outback. We got a presentation about how it was founded and what happens, amazing stuff. Diane sponsored a Harry Potter book so it could be part of the schools library, signifcant to us as the author is from Edinburgh. We bought an upside down world map. All proceeds went to the kids.

Busy day as we headed to the West Macdonald range to a place called Simpson gap, which was a gap created through the mountain area by wind. Rock wallibies lived here but it was to hot for them to be out. After that we headed further west to Elle Creek. Elle Creek was a place where we could swim so we Diane and Charlotte had a paddle and I was neck deep in it. Boys will be boys!!! The day was great, we checked into another hotel in Alice and had a nice meal in the restaurant before lights out!!

6th January

We had a big breakfast in Alice before our long trip to the Kings Canyon. On our travels we stopped at an outback road house called Stuarts Well. We met a man with a dingo and we found out that the dingo was famous all over the world, ITV and BBC news had been to see him as well as Martin Clunes who had visited 2 weeks ago. The Dingo's name was Dinky and he was brought up by a family as his parents were hunted down. Dinky had a talent which was to jump up on top of a piano when it was played and start to howl along to the music. Diane sat in the seat and played the piano and sure thing Dinky done his magic.

The man also was interesting as his father and fathers father were the creaters and founders of the tourist walk up, over and around the Kings canyon and a memorial with their names were on it at the bottom of the canyon. Funny who you meet on your travels.

Diane and I shared the driving and we ended up at our resort at the canyons, the lodge we had looked like an tin can from the outside but it wasn't the inside was amazing and we even had a spa bath overlooking the outback. We quickly dropped our stuff and headed for the sunset point at the bottom of the canyon to take photo's amazing. We had a meal in the restuarant and headed for an early bed (11 or 12 by the time we fell a sleep due to the heat) for a early rise of 4 in the morning to do our canyon 3hr hike in the morning.

7th January

The canyons are really beautiful and as we climbed them at 5:30 with the sun coming up it is really a truly amazing place. The walk around took us 3 hrs and some of the sights we seen along the way were breath taking. The way the sun hits this coloured rock is something you cannot describe. Wish you could have seen is the phrase i will use!!!

I told the ladies to be careful with the climb and descent and what happens when I was walking along the top of the canyon my ankle goes and slips on an edge and I fall to the ground. I was totally fine and we laughed as it never happened to them. They wouldn't have been laughing if they had to carry me for 1hr 30 mins down the canyon!!!!!!

We jumped into our spa bath to relax for 15 mins before heading for a big well deserved breaky. Packed up and back on the road heading to Ulura (Ayers Rock).

We got to Uluru resort around 2 and had a look around in the visitor centre. Checked into our outback pioneer lodge, again very nice and got picked up at 5:30 to go on a helicopter ride over the top of Ayers Rock. Yes a Helicopter ride!!!! Absolutely (wait for it wait for it) AMAZING. Never been in a Helicopter before now, so C and I enjoyed every minute of it. Seeing Uluru was great as it gave us photo opportunities you wouldn't get anywhere else.

We got back to the ladge and booked a meal in the Gecko Cafe for night time. I found a baby bird which I named florence, he looked very week and had fallen out of the nest. the mother was trying to help. I put some water out and some seeds hopeing that it would help, we headed for dinner, which was a nice Pizza!!!

8th January

Up at 4:30 again this time to walk around Ayers Rock. You can only do these hikes at this time due to the tempreture. You could have climbed the rock but Aboriginal peole ask out of respect not to as it is spirital ground. We have had enough info on Aboriginal culture that we knew this was really important to them so we didn't climb and went on the 3 hr work around the base of the rock. The rock was formed due to earth movements, you have to understand that the landscape is flat all around for miles except for Ayers Rock and the Olga mountains. Fascinating is the word to use for this. Many shapes, textures around the rock, Aborignal art work where they taught the kids, Area's that were sacred to the aborignal people. A lot of history and story.

We headed to the Olga's after this but we got there by mid day and it was above 40 degrees. It's similar to Ayers Rock but different formations and even more sacred to the aborignal people. We were unable to get the stories of the goings on in this area as it was that sacred only certain aboriginal people know and will only pass the information on to others before they die!!!!!!!

Once home we went for a nap before getting into our going out gear as we went to a silence of the night dinner under the sunset near Ayers Rock and Olga's. We were taking to a viewing point and given champers to watch the sunset over the spectacular rocks.

We had a buffet style meal but off real high quality. I tried crocodile!!!!! We had a Digeridoo player who talked like he was on something but was just a happy man. Later on a lad came out and gave us a leason in Astrology. All good and was a great end to the trip in Uluru.

9th January

When we got up in the morning Florence had died!!!! so I burried him and put a grave stone over him. Not a pretty sight to see!!!

We left for a long journey back to Alice, when we got there we bought some aboriginal material that we want to make into cushions and a giant picture when we return for our flat. All in All a fabulous trip and C and I loved every minute of it with Diane. We were both grateful of this experience as it was a Xmas pressie from Diane and we couldn't have done this otherwise. Thanks again D or Mum in Law or Mum (from C).

There are more adventures to come in a few days, Hunters Valley being one of them but I will leave you this for now.

Some bad news we have heard from back home is that our flat has got mice and our agent has requested what we want to do. Not good news could cost us a lot of money but have asked for an inspection of the place and then if it's all bad news we might need to get some work done or the pet detective in.

Second bad news we just found on our credit card that Sheraton in the park (Sydney) charged us for our stay. This is a double charge as we paid cash on our departure only thing is we have no reciept and are now have to wait until Monday until they investigate in the accounts department. I am now waiting on the third bad news to come as they say it comes in 3's don't they.

This is not what I need right now for the new year so fingers crossed again folks that is all works out, Mice go and die in a corner somewhere and accounts find that they have it wrong. Will need to get my Private Investigator (Alex) on the case if it all goes wrong!! Hee Hee!!!!!

Well will be back in a few days with new stories to tell.

Until next time bye from me and C!